How to Naturally Dye Easter Eggs without Chemicals

I like few issues greater than a basket full of colourful Easter eggs. Easter is necessary to our household and one in all our favourite instances of the 12 months, however I usually discover myself irritated with the over-commercialization of what I think about a spiritual vacation. I additionally get peeved when Easter will get changed into an excuse to let children (and ourselves) over-indulge in treats crammed with sugars, meals dyes, and synthetic substances.

This 12 months, I’m attempting to make our celebration of Easter extra targeted on the precise cause for the vacation. (Trace: It doesn’t have something to do with a bunny that brings eggs!)

Easter is a liturgical time of celebration, and one of many greatest feast days within the church, so I’m glad to let the children take pleasure in some treats. I’m opting, although, to maintain a few of our favourite traditions with wholesome and pure twists.

Let me clarify why!

“Pure” Easter Eggs and Easter Baskets… Too Excessive?

I admit I don’t actually perceive the Easter custom of a bunny (they don’t lay eggs) delivering plastic candy-filled eggs and baskets. I believe giving our children heaps of junk meals at Easter (and different holidays) units a precedent that associates celebrations with unhealthy meals. To me, there are higher methods to develop good meals habits for a lifetime.

This may increasingly sound excessive to some. Actually, there may be nothing improper with an occasional indulgence in a meals that’s lower than wholesome. However I believe most involved dad and mom would agree that children lately are getting these indulgences a bit of too usually. From the birthdays of each child of their class at college to Valentine’s Day, Halloween, Easter, and many others., there are greater than sufficient alternatives for youths to get the message that enjoyable and celebration = unhealthy tasty candy meals.

(Maybe that’s only a pet peeve of mine, although?!)

However let me get off my soapbox… on to Easter eggs!

How you can Dye Easter Eggs With out Chemical substances

Eggs are one in all our favourite meals, so I definitely don’t have any issues with the eggs themselves. (As chances are you’ll guess, it’s the plastic, candy-filled variations I take problem with.)

It seems that the harmless-looking shade tablets that you simply drop into vinegar water to dye Easter eggs comprise dangerous chemical compounds that might have an particularly unhealthy impact on some children. True, we don’t eat the shells, however since eggshells are permeable and a few children are so delicate to the consequences of synthetic meals dyes, I believed it was price exploring extra pure choices.

Choice 1: Retailer-bought Egg Dye

To dye Easter eggs naturally the simple manner, use a secure, pure meals coloring and blend in accordance with the next ratios:

Choice 2: Do-it-yourself Egg Dye from Beets (and Different Fruits and Greens)

In the event you don’t have pure meals coloring round (we regularly don’t), you too can use random fruits, veggies, and herbs to perform the identical factor. We tried this a couple of years in the past and can be doing it once more this 12 months.

Beneath are the meals that may be added to boiling water whereas cooking eggs to make numerous colours. You too can juice or boil the substances, cool, add vinegar, and use it as an everyday egg dye:

• Blue Coloring: Add a cup of purple cabbage or blueberries to the water when boiling the eggs.
• Inexperienced Coloring: Add a cup of spinach or a couple of teaspoons of spirulina to the boiling water. You too can juice greens, combine the juice with vinegar, and use it as a cool dye as soon as the eggs are cooked.
• Crimson/Pink Coloring: Pomegranate or beet juice is added to the boiling water. You too can put a few tablespoons of vinegar in pomegranate or beet juice and apply it to pre-cooked eggs as a cool dye.
• Purple Coloring: Add grape juice to boiling water or soak pre-cooked eggs in grape juice/vinegar combine.
• Yellow/Orange Coloring: Add a couple of teaspoons of turmeric or saffron to the boiling water, or boil these spices in water, cool, and blend with vinegar for a cool dye.

Some notes: These pure variations make pastel-colored eggs which I believe are extra stunning than the neon eggs created by the substitute colours. Only a warning, although, you gained’t be getting any florescent shades with these strategies!

Methods for Easter Egg Hunts

I’ve by no means been an enormous fan of Easter egg hunts and would forgo them utterly, however the children do actually sit up for them. Sadly, they normally end in a big bag of sweet that one way or the other disappears when my children are sleeping (possibly the Easter Bunny stole it!)

Prior to now, we’ve additionally hidden hard-boiled eggs for them to seek out (the canines discovered those they missed!) or simply had a household day outdoors that concerned plenty of different actions. Final 12 months, we did a treasure hunt with clues that led to a greater prize (seeds for them to plant in their very own little corners of the backyard). 

Whereas I want the alternate options as a substitute of an egg hunt, this 12 months I’m letting the children take part within the Easter egg hunt at church, eat a few items of the least offending sweet, after which I’ll trash the remaining after they go to mattress.

Wholesome Sweet-free Easter Basket Concepts

I don’t have any downside with Easter being a time of festivity and small presents. As I discussed earlier than (most likely an excessive amount of!), it’s the plastic, candy-filled components of this celebration I take problem with. That being mentioned, I like baskets and retailer all the pieces in them, so our children get a (reusable) basket every year crammed with (non-sugary) goodies.

Listed below are some concepts we’ve tried through the years which were a success!

Develop Your Personal Grass

Utilizing wheat, alfalfa, or clover seeds, develop grass in a small dish that may match within the backside of your basket. Use this as a substitute of the plastic Easter grass that you simply discover beneath the sofa in September. Children love the novelty of rising grass indoors, and as a bonus, grass is meant to be nice at cleansing indoor air. You may even plant it outdoors with the children after Easter. In the event you aren’t up for rising your individual grass, shred paper in a shredder and use it as a substitute. Recyclable when performed!

As a substitute of a Basket, Give Your Baby a Flower Pot

Within the pot, put a small pair of gloves, a pack of heirloom seeds, and a small shovel, and let your baby develop their very own container backyard. There are even pre-made totes for this. Herbs are one straightforward choice, and youngsters can use them within the kitchen! That is assured to offer enjoyable longer than plastic toys and pixie sticks.

Test Out Thrift Shops

We’re on a funds, and doing Easter baskets for every child positive provides up! Try native thrift shops for some enjoyable presents for Easter baskets. For example, one 12 months every of our children obtained a film, a e book, and a few footwear, and I spent lower than $10 complete.

Undertake a Household Pet

If you’re courageous, think about a small pet. This reinforces the “new life” focus of Easter and can be much more thrilling than sweet and toys. Simply be humane! Solely undertake a pet when you plan to maintain it and take care of it, as many child chickens, geese, and rabbits are deserted after Easter.

Give Wholesome Meals As a substitute of Junk

In case your children are trying ahead to edible treats, substitute some treats with ones which can be wholesome and enjoyable. Think about beef jerky, fruit, nuts, or do-it-yourself power bars. Actually courageous? Make some do-it-yourself “peeps” with my probiotic marshmallow recipe.

Try this publish for another Easter basket concepts! Joyful Easter!

What are your favourite methods to dye your Easter eggs? On the subject of sweet, do you persist with wholesome variations of the standard treats or simply let the children benefit from the unhealthy variations for a day? I’d love to listen to your ideas and methods under!